The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai (audiobook)

 Pages: 201 

 Narrator: Hanako Footman 

 Publisher: Mantle 

 Released: 5th of October 2023 

The Kamogawa Food Detectives, translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese sleuthing series for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time?

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner treats its customers to wonderfully extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason to stop by . . .

The father-daughter duo have started advertising their services as 'food detectives'. Through ingenious investigations, they are capable of recreating a dish from their customers' pasts – dishes that may well hold the keys to forgotten memories and future happiness.

From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook, to a first love's beef stew, the restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to the past – and a way to a more contented future.

A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal.

What I Have to Say 

This book was exactly what I wanted. Cosy Japanese fiction (featuring a cat) with heart-warming stories about food. It was short story format and I think was possibly serialised in a magazine judging from the style of it, so it was a little repetitive in places, but that didn't take away from it at all. 

There is a lot of delicious sounding food in this book so it's definitely not one to read when hungry! It had me drooling over descriptions of food that I wouldn't actually eat, it was so nicely described. The food detective part was interesting and well done, so it really felt like reading an actual detective story at times! 

The main theme of this story though is family. It shows the tight family of the father and daughter doing the detectiving and also highlights family in some of the customer's story. 

I took away from this book, warmth and cheerfulness and it was an absolute joy to listen to. 

 5 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Mantle for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa (audiobook)

Pages: 150 

Publisher: Manila Press 

Released: 4th of July 2023 

The moving international sensation about new beginnings, human connection, and the joy of reading.

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, is a booklover's paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building lies a shop filled with hundreds of second-hand books.

Twenty-five-year-old Takako has never liked reading, although the Morisaki bookshop has been in her family for three generations. It is the pride and joy of her uncle Satoru, who has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife Momoko left him five years earlier.

When Takako's boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle's offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above the shop. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the Morisaki bookshop.

As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

What I Have to Say 

This was such a sweet book, but it was almost written in two halves. The first half was pretty much a love story to Japanese Literature. It sang with the joy of reading and made me want to read some of the authors mentioned. 

The second part is more about family. I was a little disappointed as there wasn't so much set in the bookshop and I wanted more warm cosy bookshop vibes, but it was a still a nice little story with touching emotions. 

The audio was good, the voice actress is half Japanese so there's no pronunciation issues with the Japanese words and she was exactly right for the voice of Takako. 

4 stars

My thanks go to Netgalley and Manila Press for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Goodbye Cat by Hiro Arikawa

Pages: 256

Publisher: Doubleday 

Released: 12th of October 2023 

Against changing seasons in Japan, seven cats weave their way through their owners' lives ...

We meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature's way; a family is perplexed by their cat's devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night; and an elderly cat, Kota, hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever.

Bursting with empathy and love, The Goodbye Cat explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, every page is a joyous celebration of cats and how we cannot resist sharing our lives with them.

What I Have to Say 

This was such a cute book. Though it got very sad in places (as you can probably tell from the title of the Goodbye Cat), I enjoyed reading it immensely. I really enjoyed the different personalities of each of the cats and the differences and similarities in the stories. 

As with all short story collections, there were some stories that I loved and some that I didn't like so much. In this book, I really liked the Cat Island story and the one about Hachi. I also enjoyed the last story in the book and I loved the connection between that one and Hachi, being stories about two cats owned at different times by the same owner. 

As with any translated book, it was very different from the style I'm used to in Western works. I feel like Japanese stuff in more thoughtful and is often more told than shown. I think a lot also gets lost in translation. So I wouldn't say the writing was amazing, but I do think a lot of that is down to the type of book and translating it from a Japanese style. 

Overall, if you like cats, this is a good book to choose! 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Doubleday for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

The Snow Ghost and Other Tales

Pages: 176 

Publisher: Vintage Classics 

Released: 17th of August 2023 

Enter the haunted world of Ancient Japan in this spine-tingling collection of ghostly tales told and retold across the centuries.

From Goblin infested caves and haunted Tombs, to vengeful spirits and strange, sinister happenings, Ancient Japan was a country and culture that lived with between realms: the world of everyday and the world of supernatural.

It was a time and place where men could be brought down by karmic forces or lured into deadly danger by ghostly apparitions, and where the land held sorrowful secrets or stories that long-awaited an opportunity to reveal them and seek reparation.

The Snow Ghost and Other Tales brings together some of the best and scariest tales that endured across centuries of folk lore in one new beautiful hardback collection. Finally commited to writing during the turn of the twenieth cenutry by a unique set of folklorists, the ghost stories presented in this new anthology will transport readers to a time of magic and mystery, and let them relish in the spine-tingling traditions of Japanese culture largely lost now to modernity.

What I Have to Say 

This was a really good, comprehensive collection of Japanese Ghost Stories. It gave a good look into the culture of ghost stories in Ancient Japan. It was really fun seeing what kind of trends there were across all the different stories and getting a real look into the culture. 

My favourite story was The Tongue Cut Sparrow, which though it had a moment of animal abuse, was a really sweet story about a man and his pet sparrow, with themes of greed and cruelty. I also liked the titular story, the Snow Ghost and the other story of the Yuki Onna as well. 

The only thing that I would have liked and maybe the finished copy will have it, is a more detailed bibliography. I wanted more details of where these stories came from so I could maybe look up the originals in the future when my Japanese is a bit better. There were intials at the end which supposedly say where the stories come from, but I couldn't work it out from that. I'm really hoping that the finished copy has a bibliography or something. 

 4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Vintage Classics for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

Pages: 384 

Publisher: Zephyr 

Released: 2nd of March 

Magic-realism blends with Japanese myth and legend in an original story about grief, memory, time and an earthquake that shook a nation.

There's a catfish under the islands of Japan and when it rolls the land rises and falls.

Sora hates the catfish whose rolling caused an earthquake so powerful it cracked time itself. It destroyed her home and took her mother. Now Sora and her scientist father live close to the zones – the wild and abandoned places where time runs faster or slower than normal. Sora is sensitive to the shifts, and her father recruits her help in exploring these liminal spaces.

But it's dangerous there – and as she strays further inside in search of her mother, she finds that time distorts, memories fracture and shadows, a glimmer of things not entirely human, linger. After Sora's father goes missing, she has no choice but to venture into uncharted spaces within the time zones to find him, her mother and perhaps even the catfish itself...

What I Have to Say 

This book was beautiful. It was the perfect blend of a sort of science fiction style premise and magical realism. It also delved deep into scientific and philosophical questions about what time is and how we related to it. 

I loved the way the myths and religion of Japan were interwoven into this premise. It showed how important little things like shrines and protection spirits are to the daily life of many Japanese people. It really gave insight into how the Japanese people deal with the tragedies of earthquakes and other disasters. 

It was also a tiny bit gay! Nothing I read anywhere said it was LGBTQ+ but from reading it, I believe the character is bisexual! It was a nice little surprise for me. 

I don't think this review really does it justice, but all I can really say is read this book, it's so good!! 

5 stars

My thanks go to Zephyr and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin

Pages: 368

Publisher: Walker Books 

Released: 5th May 2022 

Teen fantasy adventure set in a world of flying ships and sky cities, where chosen ones have the ability to bring paper to life and work as Crafters - people who hunt wild paper spirits called shikigami. Inspired by Asian culture and exploring themes of empire, slavery and freedom.

Kurara has never known any other life than being a servant on board the Midori, but when her party trick of making paper come to life turns out to be a power treasured across the empire, she joins a skyship and its motley crew to become a Crafter. Taught by the gruff but wise Himura, Kurara learns to hunt shikigami - wild paper spirits who are sought after by the Princess.

But are these creatures just powerful slaves for the Crafters and the empire, or are they beings with their own souls - and yet another thing to be subjugated by the powerful Emperor and his Princess? 

What I Have to Say 

I adored this world. I'm a big fan of Japanese culture and love doing origami so the idea that origami could be alive and that there could be magic around folding and crafting was beautiful to me. 

I also loved the main character, Kurara. I can't say much about why I like her because of spoilers, but the whole mystery around her past and her relationship with Haru was so interesting. I guessed some of the reveals but that made me feel clever rather than thinking the plot was predicatable. 

It has to be said that Akane was beautiful and I would die for her. Also, I want to say as someone who speaks Japanese on an intermediate level, I loved the Japanese terms that were used. There was at least one pun and various little bits that I could pick up on as a Japanese learner. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Walker books for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384 

Publisher: HQ Young Adult 

Released: 25th of June 2019 

THE TIME OF THE WISH APPROACHES…

Yumeko the shapeshifter had one task: take her piece of the ancient and powerful scroll to the Steel Feather temple and prevent the summoning of the great Kami Dragon. But she has a new enemy now. The demon Hakaimono, has escaped and possessed the samurai she thought would protect her, Kage Tatsumi of the Shadow Clan.

Hakaimono has done the unthinkable and joined forces with Genno, the Master of Demons, to break his curse and set himself free. But Genno wishes to overthrow the empire and cover the land in darkness. To do that he needs only one thing, the scroll Yumeko is hiding. As the paths of Yumeko and the possessed Tatsumi cross again the entire empire will be thrown into chaos.

AND CHAOS WILL DARKEN AN EMPIRE.

What I Have to Say 

I fell back into this world so quickly that it was like coming home. Sometimes it's so hard to remember what characters are doing and who they are when you've had a year between books, but Kagawa has a knack of reminding you everything without making it feel like an info-dump. You just get back into a beautiful setting with fantastic characters. 

I loved seeing how much Yumeko grew in this book. It felt for a start like Kagawa was falling back into old patterns of having female characters being protected by the males because they have no fighting skills, but instead what we saw was Yumeko going through a journey of learning how illusion can be used to fight and do damage. She became a complete badass and I can't wait to see more of her fox magic, especially because it's such a unique form of fighting that isn't utilised much in books. 

I just love to get lost in Kagawa's writing so much. I love this setting and these characters. I can't wait for the third book. 

My thanks go to HQ and Netgalley for providing me with this free copy for review. 

Shadow of the Fox Blog Tour: Guest Post by Julie Kagawa

I am so happy to be part of the Shadow of the Fox blog tour. It is truly an honour to host Julie Kagawa, as she has been one of my favourite authors for so long. 

I also was able to request a piece that meant a lot to me, as I'm so fascinated by language, especially Japanese. So I hope you enjoy this post as much as I did. 

The Language of Shadow of the Fox 

Language was very important to me while writing Shadow of the Fox, especially the specific meaning of certain names.  For example, Yumeko, the kitsune protagonist of the story, has a very specific name. Yume is 'dream' in Japanese, so her name translates to dream child or child of dreams.  Tatsumi's demon possessed sword Kamigoroshi literally means 'godslayer,' and his family name  Kage (pronounced 'kah geh' not 'cage') is Japanese for 'shadow.'

Similarly, the families of Iwagoto are all named after the elements. The four Great Clans are the Hino, Mizu, Kaze and Tsuchi: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth.  The minor clans make up the Tsuki, Sora and Kage: Moon, Sky and Shadow, while the Imperial family is the Taiyo, the Sun clan.  The clans often reflect their families' element, with members of the Fire clan being seen as impulsive and hot tempered, the Earth clan as stubborn and immovable, and the Shadow clan as secretive and mysterious.

Even the names of the cities and buildings are important.  Chochin Machi, a small town that Yumeko and Tatsumi come across in their travels, means 'Lantern Town,' and is strung with thousands of red paper lanterns that light up the night.  The Shadow clan's home castle is Hakumei-jo, which means Twilight castle.  The Hayate shrine in the Wind district of the Imperial city means 'gale.' From the people to the towns to the forests and buildings, almost every named thing has a hidden meaning. And while most of them are not in the glossary at the back of the book, I took great care in all the names that went into Shadow of the Fox.  

Shadow of the Fox is available from any good book shop or online retailers. For my review of the book, go here. 

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384 

Publisher: Gollancz

Released: 8th of November 2018 

In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems.

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy. 

Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari’s fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast.

Torn between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness, the choices of Mari, Taro, and Akira will decide the fate of Honoku.

What I Have to Say 

This is definitely one of my new favourite books. Set in a world where yōkai live alongside humans, mistrusted and feared so much that they are enslaved, their powers bond by metal collars, it was so interesting to see the tensions between them and the ways that the different yōkai were fighting back against the system. 

I loved Mari. She was a beautiful character with so much strength in some ways and so much vulnerability in others. I loved that she struggled with her yōkai abilities and how she was so kind and different from the rest of the women in Tsuma. It was a really great take on the Crane Wife and showed the strength of women taking power back from the men who would enslave them. 

I loved it all. From the competition between the girls in the season rooms to the range of characters and their interactions in and out of the palace to the perfect ending, satisfying and compelling right to the last page. I loved the romance between Mari and Taro and was heartbroken by the way things changed over the course of the novel. 

There wasn't a character in this book that I didn't love (or love to hate) and I adored the little snips of stories about the gods throughout the book. This is definitely a book that any fantasy lover should pick up. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Gollancz for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 384 

Publisher: HQ Young Adult 

Released: 1st of November 2018 

One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.

Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.

Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.

There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.

With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself. 

What I Have to Say 

This was basically an anime with the unique style and twists I've come to know and love from Julie Kagawa. Though without the actual animation bit, naturally. Kagawa has taken some of the stereotyped characters from Japanese anime and given them her own touch, managing to keep the characters that anime fans know while giving them a touch that is so specific to Kagawa's writing.

This book is everything I've ever wanted. Kagawa has brought in so many myths and creatures from Japan and brought them to life in a beautiful and vivid world. I love the epic quest style story and the twists and turns that used to create this story. It's so amazing how a simple fantasy structure can be so revitalised with a different type of mythology to draw from for inspiration. 

Yumeko is the sweetest. I love her so much. From the first page, I was drawn into her character, how she had the trickster side of the fox but there was also a side of her that was a sweet kind caring human girl that peeked out through her actions at some points during the book. I also love the fact that her strength is shown so much through tactics and tricks rather than outright fighting. It's become a bit of a problem with YA that all of the supposedly "strong" female characters are strong just because they can fight. It's great to see someone who's definitely a strong female character but who relies more on illusions and tricks as well as her knack for persuasion to get what she wants. 

Tatsumi is great as well, though maybe a little predictable that he's falling into a romance with Yumeko. And Okame! So many sarcastic comments about being a ronin (disgraced samurai) and his drinking and general roguish nature. I laughed out loud so much at some of the jokes in these books, especially some of Okame and Yumeko's lines. 

This was one of those books that I almost didn't want to pick up each day because it meant I was closer and closer to finishing it and having no more to read. I can't wait for the sequel. 

My thanks go to HQ for providing me with this copy for review. 

If Cats Disappeared From the World by Genki Kawamura

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Publisher: Picador

Released:  20th of September 2018 

Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . .

Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself – and his beloved cat – to the brink. Genki Kawamura's If Cats Disappeared from the World is a story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters in modern life.

What I Have to Say 

This book was very weird, but not in a bad way. The concept alone is very quirky and the way that Kawamura describe death was also strange, but very interesting. There was definitely a lot of symbolism to find there. In general, the book is extremely philosophical, looking at various things that seem like they don't matter that much but make the world very different when they are missing from it. 

The cat, Cabbage. Was definitely the best part. I don't want to give anything away, but we had a real glimpse at his personality and the way he saw the world. And having a cat called Cabbage was always going to be a way into my heart. Cabbage and Lettuce are beautiful creatures and the world would definitely not be as good without them! 

As someone who reads a fair amount of Japanese literature, I was able to put up with some of the style differences, but if this is the first book that you're reading that was originally written in Japanese, you may find it off-putting. The flashbacks flow on from the text, instead of being separated into a separate scene and the narrator tends to go off on tangents a lot before casually rejoining the scene. Also, some of the translators choices felt a bit off to me, especially in case of thinking something rather than speaking it. In Japanese thoughts are written very much like speech, with "I thought" coming after the thing that is being thought. If felt to me like much of these sentences were fairly directly translated, meaning that you think that the character is saying something aloud when it's actually only thought. This was very off-putting when it happened. 

Overall though, it was an interesting concept and a fun story. 

So if you could have an extra day of life but something had to disappear from the world in exchange, what would you get rid of? Would you be able to live without cats? 

Let me know in the comments! 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Picador for providing me with this copy for review. 

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 353

Publisher: Simon Pulse 

Released: 26th of September 2017 

Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.

But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the west coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns life-changing truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.

What I Have to Say 

This book touched me so much. It went beyond a question of identity and showed how it feels to be a girl who is pretty much completely ignored by her mother. A girl who's entire life has been living in a household where half of her identity is completely ignored. Having divorced Kiko's father, her mother refuses to engage in anything Japanese. The idea of living like that touched me so much. 

So of course, it was good to see Kiko exploring her Japanese side. I loved watching her come out of herself. Seeing for the first time that someone who looked like her could exist in the world and was just as worthwhile as her white mother and the faces she sees in magazines. It was also interesting to see how her and her brothers coped with their mother's neglect so differently. 

I also loved the art theme of the book. The way that art was really essential to everything. The pictures that Kiko saw leading her to an artist who can help her explore her identity and change her life forever. 

My thanks go to Simon Pulse and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Smoke in the Sun by Renée Ahdieh

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 432

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Released: 5th of June 2018

After Okami is captured in the Jukai forest, Mariko has no choice - to rescue him, she must return to Inako and face the dangers that have been waiting for her in the Heian Castle. She tricks her brother, Kenshin, and betrothed, Raiden, into thinking she was being held by the Black Clan against her will, playing the part of the dutiful bride-to-be to infiltrate the emperor's ranks and uncover the truth behind the betrayal that almost left her dead.

With the wedding plans already underway, Mariko pretends to be consumed with her upcoming nuptials, all the while using her royal standing to peel back the layers of lies and deception surrounding the imperial court. But each secret she unfurls gives way to the next, ensnaring Mariko and Okami in a political scheme that threatens their honor, their love and very the safety of the empire.

What I Have to Say 

I am so upset that this is only a duology! I am so far from ready to leave these characters and this world that Ahdieh has created. I want a whole series, not just two books. I love the powerful female characters, Mariko and Yumi at the forefront and the two mothers of the emperor's sons, pulling the strings from behind the screen. 

I loved how so much of Mariko's role in this book was based around her playing the harmless girl, allowing herself to be Raiden's bride, finding out what she can and then sneaking around in the night. Not enough books show this sort of strength and intelligence but it's as much the role of a ninja as jumping over rooftops and whirling around nunchunks. It was so great to see not one but two strong kunoichi showing their skills. 

I loved the male characters as well, though I felt that they were not written as well as the female characters. I liked to see Kenshin and Raiden and how our view of them was changed as the book went. 

I've been meaning to read Ahdieh's other books for a while and now I can't wait to get into them. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this copy for review. 

Where the Stars Rise edited by Lucas K. Law and Derwin Mak

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Laksa Media Groups

Released: 8th of October 2017 

ALL EMOTIONS ARE UNIVERSAL.

WE LIVE, WE DREAM, WE STRIVE, WE DIE . . .

Follow twenty-three science fiction and fantasy authors on their journeys through Asia and beyond. Stories that explore magic and science. Stories about love, revenge, and choices. Stories that challenge ideas about race, belonging, and politics. Stories about where we come from and where we are going.

Each wrestling between ghostly pasts and uncertain future. Each trying to find a voice in history.

Orphans and drug-smuggling in deep space. Mechanical arms in steampunk Vancouver. Djinns and espionage in futuristic Istanbul. Humanoid robot in steamy Kerala. Monsters in the jungles of Cebu. Historic time travel in Gyeongbok Palace. A rocket launch in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. A drunken ghost in Song Dynasty China. A displaced refugee skating on an ice planet. And much more.

Embrace them as you take on their journeys. And don’t look back . . .

What I Have to Say 

Diversity is really the best word for this book. There was a huge range of characters with backgrounds from all across Asia, showing the wide rage of different cultures that Asia has to offer. There were characters with all kinds of background, from rich to poor and so, so many characters with various scars or disabilities. Though there was a very sad lack of sexual and gender diversity, in all other respects, it showed so many different kinds of people. 

It also showed a huge range of sci-fi, from very hard sci-fi to the softer stuff. I'm not a massive fan of the really hard sci-fi. I love a soft urban story, so there were a few stories that were a bit too much for me, but I have to say most of them I really enjoyed and there wasn't a single story I absolutely hated. 

There is so much I can say about the stories, but I'm choosing one to highlight and that's Back to Myan by Regina Kanyu Wang. This beautiful story of a girl returning to her native planet. A planet that she has no memories of and that has been completely changed. It shows the brutalism of  humanity and I think would resonate with anyone who has had their homeland taken over or destroyed by Western society. 

Anyone who has even the slightest interest in Sci-fi or Asian culture should read this book. I guarantee you will find something to love. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Laksa Media Groups for providing me with this copy for review. 

Flames in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 400

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Released: 18th of May 2017

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

What I Have to Say 

I didn't realise this book was missing from my life, but it really was. It is exactly to my tastes as well as being so beautifully written and with some really real and very mysterious characters. There was so much going on, so many lies told, so many secrets hidden and I cannot wait to find out more. I'm so happy that there are going to be other books. I can't wait to find more what will happen. 

It's all about ninjas and feminism, what could be better? This is a book that really looks at a women's place in the world, a place where Mariko's only option is to be married or bring dishonour to her family. It's about how women can take power in whatever way they can. 

I loved how much the way of Bushido was compared with the way the ninja operate. I always love the comparisons with Samurai and Ninja because they are so routed in the same code but they differ so much in a lot of ways. It's fascinating. 

I think I could read this series forever. It's definitely a new favourite. I can't wait for the next book! 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this copy for review. 

Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 304

Publisher: Hatchette Children's Group 

Released: 9th of March 2017 

Sophia has seven days left in Tokyo before she moves back to the States. Seven days to say good-bye to the electric city, her wild best friend, and the boy she’s harbored a semi-secret crush on for years. Seven perfect days…until Jamie Foster-Collins moves back to Japan and ruins everything.

Jamie and Sophia have a history of heartbreak, and the last thing Sophia wants is for him to steal her leaving thunder with his stupid arriving thunder. Yet as the week counts down, the relationships she thought were stable begin to explode around her. And Jamie is the one who helps her pick up the pieces. Sophia is forced to admit she may have misjudged Jamie, but can their seven short days of Tokyo adventures end in anything but good-bye?

What I Have to Say 

This book had some cute moments, some awesome, crazy adventures in Japan, but it also had a lot of complicated romance. I wouldn't call it so much a love triangle as a ball of wool that has become so tangled up that untangling it is impossible and you have to resort to using scissors or just give up. Everyone in the book was in love with someone else and no one seemed to be in love with a person who actually loved them back. It's not the sort of romance that I enjoy and it just made me annoyed with everyone. 

Sophia's attitude really bothered me. Her feelings for Jamie were obvious from the moment he arrived back in Tokyo and yet she continued to pine after David, who she never even told about her feelings. Her dismissal of David's girlfriend was the worst though. She completely ignored her most of the time, without even attempting to make her feel like part of the group even though the girl felt like things were a lot different. She basically didn't see her as a human being with feelings. I didn't like that and honestly wanted to slap Sophia half the time. 

The book also had a lot of good parts though. It delved deep into how it feels for someone who is constantly shifted from country to country based on her parents whims. Okay not their whims, their jobs but still. It dealt with Sophia's feelings of abandonment from her father who has a perfectly stable life in Paris with his new family leaving no room for Sophia and her sister who are forced to move about between Japan and America with short holidays in Paris, never feeling like they belonged anywhere. This was all explored so deeply and I feel captured the feelings that these kids go through, though naturally I cannot say for sure because I've never been in that situation). 

Also as I said at the start, fun, crazy adventures in Shibuya with Jamie and Sophia. Arcades, Karaoke and Ramen with a side of Matcha lattes. What more can you ask for in a date? 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hatchette for providing me with this copy for review. 

Risuko by David Kudler

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 230 

Publisher: Stillpoint Digital Press 

Released: 15th of June 2016 

Can one girl win a war?

My name is Kano Murasaki, but most people call me Risuko. Squirrel.

I am from Serenity Province, though I was not born there.

My nation has been at war for a hundred years, Serenity is under attack, my family is in disgrace, but some people think that I can bring victory. That I can be a very special kind of woman.

All I want to do is climb.

My name is Kano Murasaki, but everyone calls me Squirrel.

Risuko.

Though Japan has been devastated by a century of civil war, Risuko just wants to climb trees. Growing up far from the battlefields and court intrigues, the fatherless girl finds herself pulled into a plot that may reunite Japan -- or may destroy it. She is torn from her home and what is left of her family, but finds new friends at a school that may not be what it seems. 

Magical but historical, Risuko follows her along the first dangerous steps to discovering who she truly is.

Kano Murasaki, called Risuko (Squirrel) is a young, fatherless girl, more comfortable climbing trees than down on the ground. Yet she finds herself enmeshed in a game where the board is the whole nation of Japan, where the pieces are armies, moved by scheming lords, and a single girl couldn't possibly have the power to change the outcome. Or could she?

What I Have to Say 

This book could have been really good if it had been fine tuned a little more. I enjoyed parts of it, but the writing just felt slightly clumsy. But I liked the setting and the main character Risuko was smart and easy to like. Some of the other characters were good too. I liked all the scenes in the kitchen with the cook. 

I think part of it though was that there was this whole mystery as to what they were training for, but because I read a lot of books like this, I know what a Kunoichi is, so it wasn't really much of a surprise to me when they revealed what it was. 

The whole thing just wasn't written well. It could have way better than it was if more time had been put into polishing it. 

The Translation of Love by Lynne Katsukake

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 432

Publisher: Black Swan 

Released: 2nd of June 2016 

During the American occupation, the citizens of Japan were encouraged to apply directly to General MacArthur – “if you have a problem, write a letter, this is what democracy means” – and so write they did. MacArthur received over 500,000 letters, letters of entreaty, rage, gratitude, complaint, even adoration.

Twelve-year-old Fumi Tanaka has a problem – her beautiful and beloved older sister, Sumiko, has disappeared. Determined to find her, Fumi enlists the help of her new classmate Aya, forcibly repatriated with her father from Canada after the war. Together, they write to MacArthur and deliver their letter into the reluctant hands of Corporal Matt Matsumoto, a Japanese-American GI whose job it is to translate the endless letters.

When weeks pass and they hear nothing from Matt, the girls take matters into their own hands, venturing into the dark and dangerous world of the black market and dancehalls. They're unaware that their teacher, Kondo Sensei, moonlights as a translator of love letters, and that he holds the key to Sumiko's safe return.

What I Have to Say 

I really enjoyed this book. Not only is it a really interesting period of history, but the viewpoints used in the book gave a wide variety of the Japanese people at the time. The two young girls, Fumi who spent the war in Japan and Aya who had grown up in Canada were probably the most interesting to me. I always find it interesting to see the impact of war on the young and how much they know and don't know about what's happened.

The range of characters were not only perfect to give an oversight of what post-war Japan was like for the Japanese, but they also all added to the main story of Sumiko. Even though at first they are all separate, I really enjoyed seeing how they were brought together by Fumi in her search for her missing sister.

This is definitely a good book for anyone interested in Japanese history, especially around WW2 as it gives a very good view into how it effected the lives of the Japanese people.

My thanks go to Random House, Transworld and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Synopsis (From Goodreads) 

Pages: 336

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Released: 2nd of July 2015

London, 1884. When Thaniel Steepleton comes home to find a new watch on his pillow, he has bigger things to worry about than generous burglars; he is a telegraphist at the Home Office, where he has just received a Fenian bomb threat. But six months later, the watch saves his life in a blast that destroys Scotland Yard, and at last, he goes in search of its maker. 

He meets Keita Mori, a Japanese immigrant who remembers the future. As Mori begins to tweak daily life in Thaniel’s favour, everything seems to be going well – until physicist Grace Carrow, attracted to Thaniel’s refreshingly direct, unstuffy nature, unwittingly interferes. Soon, events spiral beyond Thaniel’s control, and nothing is certain any more…

What I Have to Say 

I want to squeal and tell everyone about this book, which I loved so much and not just because of the adorable clockwork Octopus, Katsu (I want one!). I really enjoyed Thaniel's voice and the interesting phenomenon of him being able to see sounds as colours. Keita was also so adorable. He was so sweet towards the start! Of course anyone who's read the book know that changes because his name does not mean "forest" (sorry but mori is not "trees" as it says in the book but 森 which is "forest"). 

The ending was thrilling. There was so much excitement and tension that I didn't want to put it down! I really loved the battle of minds between Grace and Keita! 

But more than anything I think this book got me interested more in clockwork and what could be done with it. I knew that the Victorians could do an awful lot with clockwork but I've never really thought about quite how clever they were. I almost wish that electricity hadn't been invented because the developments would be incredible now. Although I suppose it helps if you can remember the future... 

Everyone must to read this book. 

The Gatekeeper's Son by C.R Fladmark

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 348

Publisher: Shokunin Publishing Company

Released: 1st of October 2014

Junya’s grandfather is a billionaire who keeps the secret to his success hidden in a heavily guarded safe.

His mother is a martial artist who wields a razor-sharp katana—and seems to read his mind. 

And a mysterious girl in a Japanese school uniform can knock him over—literally—with just a look.

What do they know that he doesn’t?

Junya’s life takes a dangerous turn on his sixteenth birthday, when someone sets out to destroy not only the family’s business empire—the one that he’s set to inherit—but Junya himself. He’s fighting for his life, and doesn’t know who to trust. 

What has his family been keeping from him?

Junya’s journey takes him from the narrow streets of San Francisco to Japan, and through hidden portals to the top of the ancient Japanese Izumo Shinto shrine, to places where death and violence are a way of life. And in a mystical world he’s never imagined, he finds his true destiny.

What I Have To Say 

 This book got better as I got into it, but I had a lot of issues with it. I liked Junya's computer skills and how they were utilized in the plot and I quite liked Shoko's character in general. But I don't really think that the Japanese culture fitted into the story. It didn't seem to have a reason to be there except for the big shrine in Japan where all of it is supposed to have started.

Shoko had no reason at all to be wearing a Japanese school uniform in the middle of San Francisco except for possibly the fact that it gave her an excuse to were a tennis racket case to put her katana in (though why not have a proper case for it, since it isn't uncommon in Japan for students to carry cases to put their Bokken in for Kendo practice, they've already got her in a school uniform?). Since her people are supposed to come from another world where they don't wear modern clothing, there was no reason to have her in a Japanese school uniform. It would have made more sense to have her in regular clothes.

Also, I didn't like the way that Junya came into his powers, automatically knew how to use them and was amazing at it. I get that he had loads of training in martial arts from his mother throughout his childhood, but that doesn't really make someone good at magic... just at martial arts. He might have the mindset already... but surely he'd still need some sort of training to apply it to magic and learn to direct it?

This book just wasn't for me.